Police Kill Suspect At Car Show After Berks Woman Slain In Bed

April 26, 1993|by CHUCK AYERS, The Morning Call

A man who identified himself as Jesus Christ killed an elderly Bethel Township woman early yesterday, severely beat her husband and later was killed by police at the Carlisle Car Show, authorities said.

Stephen Ficula of Peapack, N.J., did not know his victims, Theodore and Beatrice Behney, police said. Nor did he steal anything from their Lincoln Avenue home near the borough of Bethel in western Berks County.

"There was no robbery, no burglary, no nothing. Just a vicious crime. It was a senseless killing," said Sgt. Michael Reap with state police at Hamburg.

Beatrice Behney, 75, was pronounced dead at her home. Theodore Behney, whose age was not known, was taken to Hershey Medical Center where he remained in critical condition last night, police said.

The string of events began around 4:30 a.m., when a state trooper stopped to assist Ficula, whose yellow rental Ryder truck apparently broke down because of mechanical problems on the I-78 exit to Route 501.

Ficula told the trooper he was on his way to the car show, and was going to put in a new battery from a nearby gas station. The trooper, who said Ficula was "highly distraught," checked his identification and left, Reap said.

A short time later, Ficula got the truck running and reportedly drove it less than 500 yards to the Behney's home. He broke in around 5:30 a.m. and apparently went berserk, according to Berks County Coroner Bill Fatora.

"The windows of the residence were smashed, the front door was kicked in," Reap said. "Once inside, he went into the bedroom and struck Beatrice in the head while she was laying in bed."

Her husband, hearing the intruder, apparently was loading a rifle in another bedroom when the man disarmed him, beat him and shot him once in the arm, Fatora said.

Fatora said the home looked like a hurricane had hit it.

"If you could see the outside of this house, you would say, `What kind of maniac did this?'" Fatora said. "I don't know who he is and I certainly don't know why. It's safe to say, he beat the hell out of the house and them."

Fatora said he was uncertain whether either or both of the Behney's also may have been shot. An autopsy will be performed today to determine Beatrice Behney's exact cause of death.

Neighbors heard the commotion in the Behney home. They saw the Ryder truck outside and notified police, who issued a bulletin describing the truck, the suspect and his dog -- a brown and white short-haired pointer. Ficula had already driven off when they arrived, police said.

State police notified security at the Carlisle Car Show, being held at the Carlisle Fairgrounds in North Middleton Township, that Ficula likely was driving in their direction, Reap said.

After sighting Ficula, police from four townships, Carlisle and state police at Carlisle converged on him at about 10 a.m., according to state police at Carlisle.

When several officers confronted Ficula, he said he was Jesus Christ and became violent and began throwing car parts at them, police said. He attacked and injured one state trooper with a "large metal car part," according to a news release from state police.

"The subject continued to make assaults at these officers and as a result these officers were forced to use deadly force on the suspect," the release said.

It has not been determined how many times Ficula was shot. He was pronounced dead at the scene by Cumberland County Coroner Michael Norris.

A call to Ficula's home in Peapack was picked up by an answering machine that identified the number as Ficula's Auto Parts.

State police and Fatora said no motive in the beating and killing is known. Neither knew if there was one.

"Lord knows what is going on here," Fatora said. "There's no reason for this at all. We may have a guy who just stopped by the side of the road and beat up on this elderly couple. Unfortunately, right now, that's what we're looking at."